There was never much doubt Kolb would never make it to Lehigh University for training camp -- he was too valuable a commodity and the Eagles have too many other holes to fill. It was just a matter of finding the right deal.

"Quite a few teams were interested in the beginning," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "When you want to get a quarterback into camp you want to get him in fast so I knew this would happen quickly."

There can be little doubt Reid and Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman made a terrific deal. Getting a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback and a second-round pick (likely to be an early choice in the round) for a player who wasn't going to start for the Eagles represents tremendous value.

Kolb probably deserved better. Always classy, always team-oriented and always ready for whatever he was called on to do, Kolb never had much of a chance. Reid and Roseman more or less said so.

"We think the world of Kevin Kolb," Roseman said. "This trade was a win-win situation for both teams."

"I can't tell you I won't miss Kevin as a person and a player," said Reid with genuine sincerity. "He deserves the opportunity to start. He's got a great head coach (Ken Whisenhunt) and a great offensive lineman and one of the best wide receivers there is (Larry Fitzgerald). It's a good, positive situation for Kevin and I am pulling for him."

Reid may be pulling for Kolb now but didn't hesitate to ruthlessly dump him last season. Was that fair? Probably not, and deep down one suspects Reid knows that.

Is dealing Kolb now the best move Andy Reid could make? Yes, as long as Vick doesn't get hurt.

Having Kolb around came in handy last season when Vick went down. Kolb won two of three games in October during Vick's recovery from a rib injury. Given that Vick's style of running and taking hits isn't likely to change, the Eagles' backup quarterback almost will surely take key snaps this fall.

Right now, that's second-year man Mike Kafka, who has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game.

"I think the trade is great for Kevin," Kafka said Wednesday. "But my focus is on my play and preparing the best way I can for games."

The Eagles may think the best way for Kafka to prepare is to still carry the clipboard as the No. 3 quarterback.

"We'd never have (traded Kolb) if we didn't have faith in Kafka," Reid said. "He could be the backup. Mike has a bright future. But we have to have three guys and we'll see how things go."

Translation: we'll get the first veteran backup we can.

If Reid and Roseman struggle to find a backup for Vick and he goes down, the Eagles will be in a deep, deep hole. While very few NFL teams could lose a starting quarterback and not suffer a drop-off, the Eagles are especially vulnerable because so much of their offense springs from Vick's improvisations.

Watching Vick, and then Kafka, run the offense is like watching a Kia replace a Ferrari at a Formula One race.

Also, of course, Rodgers-Cromartie had better be good as he fills the hole at right cornerback, but that seems safe. His 13 interceptions in three seasons ranks him fourth among NFL cornerbacks during that period behind the Eagles' Asante Samuel (22) and Green Bay's Tramon Williams (18) and Charles Woodson (18).

"He's an explosive guy, can match up with bigger receivers, can press or play off, and can play all the defenses we want," Roseman said. "And being here with Asante will help him."

The knock on Rodgers-Cromartie should sound familiar: he, like Samuel, doesn't tackle brilliantly. Roseman didn't necessarily deny that but added, "tackling is a little far down the list of what you're looking for in a cornerback." Remember that when Rodgers-Cromartie is trampled by Brandon Jacobs en route to the end zone.

The Kolb deal shores up the Eagles' secondary and allows other needs to be pursued in free agency. The absolute safe play would have been to keep Kolb to back up Vick.

The Eagles may pay the price for that; they may not. Reid obviously is willing to take the chance they won't -- and that meant the departure of the quarterback he chose, he nurtured and he developed to replace McNabb. But once Kolb became extra baggage, Reid got rid of him.